“But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?”
My Notes
What Does Luke 5:22 Mean?
"But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?" Jesus PERCEIVES their thoughts — the internal reasoning that the scribes haven't spoken aloud — and addresses it DIRECTLY: what are you reasoning in your hearts? The question exposes the INTERIOR conversation. The scribes were thinking. Jesus was listening. The thoughts they hadn't voiced were the thoughts Jesus answered.
The phrase "perceived their thoughts" (epignous de tous dialogismous autōn — having recognized/known their reasonings) means Jesus accessed INTERNAL dialogue: the dialogismoi (reasonings, deliberations, inner arguments) were happening INSIDE the scribes. They hadn't spoken. They hadn't voiced the accusation. The reasoning was PRIVATE. And Jesus PERCEIVED it — recognized it, knew it, accessed the internal without the external being expressed.
The "what reason ye in your hearts?" (ti dialogizesthe en tais kardiais hymōn — what are you dialoguing/reasoning in your hearts?) makes the private PUBLIC: the question forces the internal reasoning into the open. The scribes' private thoughts are now public conversation. The reasoning that was hidden is now exposed. The hearts that were silent are now called to account.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Do you live as though Jesus perceives your thoughts — or do you assume the internal is private?
- 2.What does Jesus reading UNSPOKEN reasoning teach about the accessibility of the heart to God?
- 3.How does the question 'what reason ye in your hearts?' make the private accusation public?
- 4.What internal reasoning are you carrying that Jesus has already perceived?
Devotional
Jesus perceived their THOUGHTS. Not their words — their THOUGHTS. The reasoning they hadn't spoken. The accusation they hadn't voiced. The internal dialogue happening in private. And He addressed it: what are you reasoning in your hearts?
The 'perceived their thoughts' is omniscience in action: the scribes were thinking, not speaking. The reasoning was internal — dialogismoi, the Greek word for the back-and-forth arguments happening inside the mind. Jesus didn't need them to VOICE the accusation. He READ it. The interior was accessible. The private was visible. The thoughts they assumed were hidden were perceived.
The 'what reason ye in your hearts' turns the private into the public: the question doesn't just acknowledge that Jesus knows what they're thinking. It EXPOSES it — forces it into the open, makes the hidden reasoning the topic of public conversation. The scribes' private accusation is now a public discussion. The hearts that were reasoning in silence are now called to answer out loud.
The combination — perceiving AND questioning — is both OMNISCIENT and CONFRONTATIONAL: Jesus could have just answered the objection (which He does in verses 23-24). Instead, He first EXPOSES the objection. He makes the scribes aware that their THOUGHTS are known. The exposure is the first act of power. The healing of the paralytic (verse 24-25) is the second. But the thought-reading precedes and enables both.
Do you live as though your thoughts are PERCEIVED — or do you still assume the internal is private?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But when Jesus perceived their thoughts,.... Being God omniscient;
he answering said unto them, what reason ye in your…
See this passage explained in the notes at Mat 9:1-7. Luk 5:17 On a certain day - The time and place are not…
Here is, I. A general account of Christ's preaching and miracles, Luk 5:17. 1. He was teaching on a certain day, not on…
when Jesus perceived Rather, Jesus, recognising.
their thoughts Rather, their reasonings.
Cross References
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